My brother lived in the San Fernando Valley briefly about 10-15 years ago... when I would visit, I was blown away by the competition in the burgerjoint industry out there. I mean with Carl’s Jr., In-n-Out, Foster’s Freeze, and Tommyburger (to a degree), I had no idea why ANYONE would step foot in a Burger King, McDonald’s, or Jack-in-the-Box.
Being in the Northeast... all we had was BK, McD’s and Wendy’s... a rare White Castle here and there... oh and Checkers... but out of those choices none approached what was available in Southern California... but still, paled in comparision.
I fondly recall my brother flying home for the holidays... and one time brought a box of In-n-Out double-doubles for me... I didn’t care that they were cold and the bread soggy. I could not get them in NJ.
Once she decided Carl’s Jr. wasn’t good anymore, my mother liked Whataburger. It was originally a Texas chain, or at least that’s where we encountered it, but it got to Oklahoma in the 90s.